Towards the Inclusion of Inter-Ethnic Studies in Comparative Literature in China

In their article "Towards the Inclusion of Inter-Ethnic Studies in Chinese Comparative Literature" Xiaoqing Han and Aaron Lee Moore advocate for the inclusion of inter-ethnic studies in Chinese comparative literature. The traditional definition for many Chinese comparative literature scholars continues to confine the discipline to "inter-national" or "cross-civilization" studies rather than including "inter-ethnic" studies, and Chinese ethnic minority writing continues to be underrepresented in the national literary canon. This article is in no way opposed to the continued growth and development of a Chinese national literature. But rather, it seems crucial that inter-ethnic studies should be included in the discipline of Chinese comparative literature, considering the fact that there are 55 officially recognized and registered Chinese minorities (???), constituting nearly 8.5% (113 million) of the total population of China, each with their own distinct and rich cultural heritage and literary tradition.